When the Customer Rises

Most marketers are afraid of social media–driven virtual riots; no one wants a pack of raving bloggers attacking their brand in a flurry of peer-driven angst.

Although there is a kernel of truth to the “crazy bloggers” scenario, these incidents usually are caused by upset customers. Even the strongest marketing campaigns and most-famous brands are not immune to customer angst. And the traditional press still plays a role in outing companies.

The Amazon Kindle Fire launched with great success during the 2011–12 holiday season; sales outpaced Amazon’s forecast of five million units. But the iPad competitor had quality issues; more than 30 percent of buyers rated the device “negative to neutral (1 to 3 stars).”

The New York Times ran an extensive piece about the Fire’s foibles. As Amazon forged ahead with its less-than-perfect Fire, negative reviews piled up. And more media reported about them. When you see the product on Amazon, it is listed as a 4-star product, not at all representative of the significant minority of dissatisfaction.